What is the market value of a 2004 Volkswagen Golf?
What is the market value of a 2004 Volkswagen Golf three-door diesel with 220k km on the clock in Ireland?
Padraigh O Fearghail (Balbriggan)Jul 2015 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Padraigh,
I'd say in and around €4,000.
I need a very large car for up to €16,000.
I have a budget of around €13,000 to €16,000 and and need to buy a seven-seater diesel that will accommodate two adults and five children aged 7, 10, 12, 14 and 17 years. Have no interest in what the car looks like, need the most reliable engine, with the most leg room possible and will not be trading up etc so maintenance costs a factor too. Will drive the car for as long as it lasts, live in the countryside so average weekly mileage around 130km.
Would be so grateful for some advice.
Jill Co. Waterford.
Jillian Wheaton (Carrick-on-Suir)Jun 2015 Filed under: family car
Expert answer
Hi Jillian,
OK, there's a few good options out there. You could try and track down a Mitsubishi Grandis - think of it as a Japanese Ford S-Max, with space for seven and endless reliability, but I'm slightly worried that you might be caught for space as your kids get bigger. How about something van-based? A Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life has seats for seven, lots of space and based on a commercial vehicle means it'll go forever. That 1.6 TDI engine makes it cheap to run too.
If you need more space than that, then you're into big van-with-windows territory such as a Ford Transit Tourneo or Volkswagen Caravelle, but these are really big and unwieldy and can be pretty thirsty. If you can all squeeze into the Caddy happily enough, that's the one I'd go for.
How reliable is the 170hp Volkswagen Passat TDI?
Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI 170hp Highline: how reliable is this car please?
Matt
Matt Crowe (Athlone Ireland)Jun 2015 Filed under: reliability
Expert answer
Hi Matt,
Check the steering and suspension for any sagging or any nasty knocking noises, and make sure that the car has been back in to have an engine ECU upgrade - that should have been carried out as part of a recall. Other than that, the engine needs regular checks for oil level and regular oil changes too. If that hasn't been done, the car has been neglected and you should leave it.
Make sure it comes with a full service history.
What first car would you recommend with €10,000?
What would you recommend for a first car for a 25-year old with about €10k to spend. I like the Volkswagen Golf.
John Millane (Ennis)Jun 2015 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi John,
A Golf is always a good choice but the fact that it comes with, at smallest, a 1.4-litre engine could be an issue when it comes to insurance. You could, for your budget, get the current-shape Polo, from around 2010, with a 1.2-litre engine. That should take the sting out of the insurance. Or what about something really stylish? Say, a Fiat 500 1.2? Plenty of those around and they’re quite enjoyable to drive too.
Mazda3, Skoda Octavia or Toyota Corolla?
Hi guys.
I currently drive a Volkswagen Golf (2007) and am looking to upgrade to accommodate a growing family (two young kids). I've narrowed my selection down to Mazda3 (saloon), Skoda Octavia, or the Toyota Corolla. Space is a main concern.
Any advice?
Cheers, Ronan
Ronan Murphy (Carrigaline)Jun 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Ronan,
Go for the Octavia. The Mazda3 is nice to drive and incredibly reliable and the Corolla is about as reliable and unbreakable as a granite rock, but the Octavia has the best interior space and reliability is generally excellent, so go for that. Case in point: once spent two consecutive weekends hauling my young family from Dublin to Waterford to visit relatives. First weekend with a Ford S-Max, second with an Octavia (this would have been 2006) and the Octavia carried the same amount of luggage as the S-Max...
Relevant reviews:
Can you recommend a car for €10,000 for me?
My 2001 Hyundai Accent has failed the NCT so I need to buy a new car. I'm a mum of two and my husband drives a 2003 Toyota Verso. I have a budget of €10,000. Can you recommend a car to me?
Sharon Drummond (Galway)Jun 2015 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Sharon,
€10,000 buys you an awful lot on the second hand market, but I'm assuming you want to stay within roughly the same size band as the Accent. So, your best bets are to go for a two-to three-year old small hatchback - think Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20 or Volkswagen Polo. The Kia or Hyundai are probably the best bets as they'll both have factory warranties left to run.
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Why is my Volkswagen Bora over-heating?
I have a a problem with my Volkswagen Bora 1.6 Comfortline. it seems to be whenever I accelerate it over heats and in the low gears it seems to lose power for a few moments and then get it back again. It could be a sensor but I am not quite sure and I could do with some advice please.
Robert Shinnick (Moylough )Jun 2015 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Robert,
It's very difficult to analyse such things from afar. It's likely that the loss of power is related to the overheating issue, so we'd suggest getting to the bottom of that first. We'd suspect a damaged water pump or a sticking thermostat.
Let us know how you get on
Are there forums to discuss a Volkswagen Golf issue?
Where will I find a forum in Ireland to ask Volkswagen Golf owners about problems they may have experienced? I have an auto hold problem that the garage cannot sort. Kind of my word against theirs problem that shows up only about 10 per cent of the time. Never there when you drive into the dealership... cracking up from it and cannot let anyone else drive the car.
Kevin Ryan (Limerick)Jun 2015 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Kevin,
There are a couple you can try, such as golfmk7.com or forums.vwvortex.com, but you need to be aware that the people on forums are not necessarily experts. Take any advice with some level of caution.
Your better bet is to sit on your dealer's head (metaphorically) to get the problem solved. It's not a case of their word against yours - don't take that kind of crap lying down. The garage's job is to sort your problem and you shouldn't pay a cent to them until the problem is fixed to your satisfaction. Quote the Sale Of Goods And Supply Of Services Act at them. They're the experts, so a shrug and a "we can't replicate the problem" isn't good enough.
If you're still having problems, tell us the name of the garage. Volkswagen Ireland guards its reputation for after-sales service fervently so it'll also be interested to hear about this.
What will we replace our Kia Sportage with?
Hi, my wife is driving a 2013 Kia Sportage and is thinking of updating. What would you recommend?
Joe Malone (Dublin)Jun 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Joe,
Lots to choose from, but if she fancies another Sportage, then hang on for a year - there's an all-new model coming. You could consider a trade-up into the excellent new Kia Sorento, but that's a bigger, more expensive car. If you want to stick in the same size range (and stick with an SUV) then have a look at the Volkswagen Tiguan, Nissan Qashqai or Toyota RAV4.
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What's wrong with my nearly new Golf TDI?
Hi,
I have a Volkswagen Golf Mk7 TDI diesel, just 10 weeks old, 6,600km on the clock. Engine management light flashing and loses ability to accelerate. Light goes off and acceleration restored once ignition turned off and on again. Gets a 90km spin almost daily. Second time it's happened in past four weeks.
Any ideas what could be wrong?
Olive Piercy (Meath)Jun 2015 Filed under: fault
Expert answer
Hi Olive,
It's not easy to assess such issues from afar though it does sound as if the car is going into 'limp home' mode to protect the engine as the engine control unit (ECU) has sensed a problem. With such a new car it's most likely to be a wrong reading from a sensor rather than anything major.
As the car is new, bring it straight back to the dealer and we're sure it'll be sorted quickly.
Let us know how you get on and what the problem was.